Deception's Web
by Marishi
Summary: A girl from Duo's past comes to reconnect with her former ragamuffin friend; but strange and dangerous things ensue. Is she really who she says she is? Or is she the enigmatic weaver of deception's web? [finished, waiting for reviews]
1. Prologue

Duo and the rest of the Gundam pilots learn to live a little without the threat of space battles constantly hanging over their heads, but there is still the tense air that something is about to happen. And something _does_ happen. Is this girl from Duo's past who she says she is? Or is she the enigmatic weaver of Deception's Web?

Welcome to the first Gundam Wing FanFic I've ever written. Er, well, welcome to the very first FanFic I've _ever_ written period. I know, it can probably still use some more editing (what can't?), and there are probably a couple of typos left, but, hopefully, you can get past all of that and read it and review! Hopefully I didn't butcher things too badly. Um, the usual: I do not own Gundam Wing or the characters (though sometimes I wish I did) _except_ for Mia. This is probably slightly AU, and takes place _after_ Endless Waltz. There _will_ be a sequel (sometime), and it contains spoilers, too, I guess. :: shrugs. :: That's about it, enjoy please!

****

Cautions: **Cursing**, Some Violence (though it sucks), Yaoi-ness, Firearms ... those sorts of things. And now, on with the story . . .

"I thought she was gone, Heero," Duo said quietly. "I really did. One day she just disappeared, and I figured she fell victim to the war. It's not like that was anything new..."

"Duo," Heero interrupted gently. "Duo —"

"But it just wasn't like her... she was too clever, too quick. She never would have gotten caught," Duo continued, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes at the lightest blink. "Why didn't I see that until now? _Why_, Heero?"

Heero looked down to the boy resting on his bare chest, fighting tears as he spoke from his heart. It would be terribly inconsiderate to interrupt with what was on his mind now, so Heero took to stroking Duo's unbraided hair, hoping to calm him down. The last two days had been anything but normal, turned upside down by one female. The one female that had raised many questions in Heero's mind, questions that he knew, now matter how inconsiderate, could not wait to be answered....

"Duo?"

"Yes, Heero?" Duo replied, stifling a shaky yawn.

"Duo, I need you to tell me something, and I want you to be completely honest," Heero said firmly.

"Of course, Heero."

"Do you like her?"

Duo yawned. "Of course I do, Heero, that's a silly question."

"No, Duo. I mean, are you in love with her?"

"..."


	2. The Weaver of the Web

Um, the usual: I do not own Gundam Wing or the characters (though sometimes I wish I did) _except_ for Mia.

****

Cautions: **Cursing**, Some Violence (though it sucks), Yaoi-ness, Firearms ... those sorts of things. And now, on with the story . . .

****

Chapter One: The Weaver of the Web

Rumbling gray clouds began to overtake a clear, sunny sky one hot August afternoon. Heero watched this from the small coffee shop inside the music store with a feeling akin to cynical pleasure, sipping the scalding brew in his cup while suppressing a smirk. He could hear his fellow Gundam pilots rummaging around the store, trying to help Duo find a CD he'd been looking for. Well, Quatre was helping Duo, Trowa was following them around _pretending _to be helping, and Wufei... well, Wufei was off doing his own thing, as usual.

Wufei was off browsing the classical section of the store, looking for some soothing music to go with his morning meditation, not caring very much if Duo found his album or not. He found Duo's music loud and irritating, and he especially didn't like Duo's lack of consideration while blasting it at top volume in his room with the door wide open.

He spotted a promising album and reached for it just as another hand did the same. In that brief moment of seeing it, the hand told him a lot about who it was attached to. For one, it was a female's hand; the fingers were long and slim, the hand well-toned in general, as though she used them laboriously often. They were a creamy almond color, and not at all flawed.

"Gomen nasai," the woman said softly. Wufei looked up to offer that it was all right, but took a rather heart wrenching trip down memory lane instead. The girl, he had soon decided, as she didn't look much older than himself, had long, silky black hair streaming from two neat buns above either ear, and dark chocolate colored eyes that held a sparkle of independence within them.

_Meiran_... he found himself thinking.

"Yo, Wu-man! Let's go, we found it!"

Duo's voice sliced violently through his mind, temporarily cutting his thoughts short. He looked over to where Duo, Heero, Quatre, and Trowa were walking out the door, Quatre pausing a moment to wave him over. Turning back, he was just in time to see the girl take the album and then walk off into the depths of the jazz section, disappearing currently from his sight, but her imprint remaining vividly in his mind.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

It was almost one o'clock in the morning, and all lay asleep in the dark that infested the Gundam house. That is, all but one. Wufei lay awake in his room, staring at the shadowed ceiling above him deep in thought. He was involuntarily unearthing all the memories of his past that had been buried for so long, memories that he had wanted to keep buried until he was ready to deal with reality — if ever. He remembered what being a scholar was like back on the L5 Colony instead of risking his neck in space battles, and having Meiran as his wife. His dear Nataku. He hadn't realized just how much her companionship had meant to him until she was gone and never to be there for him again. Rebellious, independent, and at times slightly foolish in her intense judgements, Wufei never could have helped himself in caring for her; or at least worrying about her. Of course, he never allowed himself to show it, which was something he duly regretted, no matter how much he would not allow himself to admit _that_ either.

Becoming rather uncomfortable, physically and mentally, Wufei got up from his bed and exited his room, descending the stairs to the kitchen, where he paused at the refrigerator to peer at what was left inside after Duo's nightly nine o'clock raid. He poured himself a small glass of milk and gulped it down rather quickly. Pausing a moment as he put the glass in the sink, he looked over his shoulder at the dark hallway. His subconscious was telling him that something wasn't right, but he was too distracted, and too unhappy, to care.

He was just on his way back upstairs and to his room when he ran into Duo, who effectively caught Wufei off-guard.

"Maxwell!?! What the hell are you doing up this hour?!"

Wufei was expecting some sarcastic answer from his friend and was immediately concerned when Duo didn't answer right away. Instead, he waved a hand to silence him and tilted his head as though listening for something.

"I thought I heard something..." he said finally, still looking past Wufei.

"You did. It was me getting a glass of milk. Go back to sleep, Duo," Wufei said, not bothering to whisper. He was again startled by Duo's seriousness as he shushed him.

"It wasn't you, I know an alien sound. These ears are sharper than a fox's. You get that when you're out on the streets," Duo commented dryly.

"You mean to tell me that someone else is in this house?" 

Duo simply nodded. Wufei wanted to take this as some sort of prank, but the look on Duo's face in the dimness told him that he wasn't joking. They didn't even need to exchange words to do what they did next. Duo went to Heero's door while Wufei went to Quatre's, and they knocked six times, pausing a moment to add a seventh knock. That was all it took. Heero came out not two seconds later, still in his boxers and wielding a gun, Trowa and Quatre came out from Quatre's room, armed and dressed in pajamas.

"Hurry up," Duo said in a harsh whisper as they began descending the stairs, "they're leaving!"

"You mean there's more than one?" Quatre asked quietly.

"I'm not sure, I can't hear with you jabbering."

Quatre stuck his tongue out at Duo's back but kept his ears open, straining for the slightest sound. Slowly the pilots crept down the stairs, Duo leading the group towards the kitchen. They stopped once, Duo listening for the shuffling of feet once again. Yep, it was definitely coming from the kitchen. They gathered at the door, and by instinct new when to charge. They jumped in, Quatre quickly flicking on the lights and then quickly regaining control of his firearm. They had to blink away the brightness and try to focus as quickly as possible. Their intruder had opened the back door a crack, but was startled when the lights were turned on, and by the five on the prowl. Heero slammed the back door, looking to their intruder and growling. And it was all he could do to keep that growl from turning into a yelp of surprise. 

The intruder backed away from Heero cautiously, without a trace of fear or surprise on their face. In fact, the person was smirking. The intruder raised their arms into a slightly combative position, as if ready to strike if struck first, and turned slowly, looking to each of the pilots' faces. They had created a circle about the person, and their intruder paused a moment, glancing at Wufei, but completely stopping at the sight of Duo.

Wufei was bursting with disbelief, their intruder was a _woman_. The same woman from the music store, clad in all black, her long hair braided. It reminded him of Duo's braid, falling all the way past her waist.

The woman began to slowly walk towards Duo, and it was clear then that she was absolutely insane; for Duo had his gun drawn, the safety off, and his index finger on the trigger. But he didn't shoot. He seemed to be frozen in place, or paralyzed, unable to even change his facial expression which still remained alert and determined. She only stopped when the barrel of his gun was poking into her stomach, the two mere inches apart; and that's when Duo did the unfathomable. He hugged her.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"I still can't believe it's you," Duo was still saying almost an hour later. All had seated themselves around the kitchen table for what was surely going to be a most interesting conversation. "God, Mia, where have you been all this time?!"

"Arigatou," Mia said softly as Quatre placed a cup of tea on the table before her. He then took his seat next to Trowa and prepared himself for a long night. It was only after she sipped the tea that Mia answered. "I've been around, Duo. Trying to grow up and make something of the street-orphan tomboy I am."

"Y'don't look much like a tomboy anymore," he replied with a lopsided grin.

"No... I suppose that's true," Mia agreed, swirling a spoon in her tea absently. "I need not reciprocate the question. I already know the answer."

"How could you?" Quatre spurted out before he could check himself.

Mia smiled a bit, tilting her head as she took in the seemingly innocent-looking figure of Quatre. "I'm quick, clever, and courteous; some very winning traits when you're trying to find hidden information."

"And let me guess what else," Wufei began dryly, "modest?"

"Oh yes, very," Mia replied with a sarcastic grin.

"Well, since you know more than you should about us, I believe it wouldn't be rude of me to ask what you've been up to," Heero said in a quiet tone that allowed none to decipher his thoughts.

"Perfectly justifiable," Mia agreed. "I've traveled mostly, looking in on Duo every now and then, just making sure he was all right. I am currently unemployed, although I did go for a rather promising interview this afternoon."

"What kind of interview?" Wufei asked.

"I don't believe _that's_ any of your business."

"But it's _your_ business to know what _we've_ been doing? Injustice!"

"I was merely keeping tabs on a person I consider to be my brother. I don't know where your bloodline goes, but where my ancestors are from, they treasure compassion and honor of family above all else. How _dare_ you speak to me about injustice!" Mia replied, her cheeks flushing with mild anger, eyes flashing with a challenge.

"And just _where_, pray tell, do your ancestors come from?" Wufei countered, slightly miffed himself.

"Why, China, of course!"

Silence. The two sat there, facing each other as though ready to start rolling on the floor in a fight. At least, Mia was; Wufei seemed to be locked in a moment where he was torn between anger and horror. And just when Wufei didn't think he could be more embarrassed _or_ horrified, Duo started to laugh. He just sat there, grabbing at Heero's arm as he swayed precariously on his chair, shaking from head to toe with laughter.

The twitchings of a smile began to attack Mia's lips, but before she could begin to laugh herself, she stood from her place and started for the back door. She had effectively stumped the adamant Wufei into silence, she wasn't about to ruin her triumph with laughter. "Duo, you're contagious in that state. I'll be back —"

Duo grabbed her by the wrist, fighting for control. "You can't leave now, Mia. —" giggle "— You just got here. —" snort "— And besides, —" chuckle "— it's raining out."

She stared at him as though he had four heads. "Rain isn't going to kill me."

"No, but pneumonia will," Trowa intervened quietly, staring at a giggle-ridden Duo with a very wary expression.

"Yes, and Duo would have heard a vehicle pull up outside the house, so it is obvious you haven't one," Quatre added.

Mia was listening half-heartedly. She was concentrating more on Duo. "Duo, would you mind explaining what's so funny?"

Duo had succeeded in calming himself down, but that didn't stop him from grinning madly. "'Fei's Chinese, too."

Mia couldn't stop the smile that had spread across her face (who would have thought?), although she was trying to suppress the giggles that had risen in her throat; Duo could be such an idiot at times. But an amusing idiot. "And that was funny?"

It only took about two seconds for it to happen again. Duo and Mia stared at each other for approximately that before the both of them burst into laughter. Needless to say, Wufei wasn't very happy.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Duo, I don't know how to thank you enough. You really don't have to do this, you know," Mia said as Duo entered the guest bedroom carrying a pair of Wufei's sweatpants and a T-shirt of Quatre's.

"No, I don't," Duo replied with a grin. "But I wanna' spend more time with you before you disappear again."

"Well, if I get the job I'm hoping for, I won't have to disappear." _Yet_,_ anyway_, she added in her mind.

"Yeah... Well, sweet dreams, Mia," Duo said as he closed the door. Mia waited until his footsteps faded before she began changing into the clothes Duo had brought for her. The shirt wasn't so bad, if only slightly baggy; but the sweatpants were a different story entirely. They fit length-wise, but Mia had to tie them extra tight so they wouldn't slip off her slim hips.

Mia was just unbraiding her hair and beginning to brush it when there was a knock on her door. Thinking it was Duo again, she immediately called, "Come in." But it wasn't Duo who entered; it was Wufei.

"Chang?"

Wufei couldn't help but become lost the moment he looked at her. He still couldn't get over how much she looked like Meiran, especially with her hair down like that, the lamplight giving it a glossy luster. He bet that it even felt the same, if only he could just touch it to make sure....

"Wufei, what are you doing?"

He blinked himself into consciousness, realizing that he had been inching slowly closer to her, reaching for her hair. "What was I... I doing? I was... just... um... How long did it take you to get your like that? That – that length and everything," he quickly added.

"My hair?" Mia blinked in response. "My life... I never once cut it in my life."

Wufei simply nodded, regaining his composure and once more becoming all business-like. "I just came to see if the pants were all right. I found a smaller pair if you need them..."

"No, thank you. I'm fine," she lied coolly, turning slightly and continuing to brush her hair.

"And I came to apologize."

"Oh?" Mia said with hidden satisfaction. "For what?"

"For... Well..." he began, pausing contemplate his choice of words and to give her a piercing look. "You're not going to make this any easier on me are you? Women are all the same. Never mind, then." Wufei turned on his heel and strode towards the door, grabbing the knob so that he'd be able to close it over without looking back. That is, he wouldn't have looked back, but —

"Wufei?"

Reluctantly, he turned around, taking in the soft smirk on her face and trying to keep his legs from involuntarily collapsing at the way her voice softened.

"Apology accepted."

Nodding in response, Wufei closed the door over and went back to his room.


	3. Fight or Flight

Um, the usual: I do not own Gundam Wing or the characters (though sometimes I wish I did) _except_ for Mia.

****

Cautions: **Cursing**, Some Violence (though it sucks), Yaoi-ness, Firearms ... those sorts of things. And now, on with the story . . .

****

Chapter Two: Fight or Flight

Trowa awoke the next morning to a funny smell. It smelt like he were in a wonderful bakery full of tasty treats. The fragrance was so strong, in fact, he thought he could almost taste it, like it was coming from his own house. And in a few seconds, he realized that it was. Racing down the stairs, wondering who could have stolen his morning job, he stopped short in the kitchen to see Mia fixing breakfast.

"Hey, Trowa. Sleep all right?" she asked while she was setting the table.

"Huh?" Trowa replied, still not believing his eyes. Quatre, who had woken with the abrupt exit of his partner, soon skidded to a stop beside him.

"What's all the fuss?" Quatre asked tiredly, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes with his fist.

"Just making some breakfast," Mia said.

"Wow," Quatre said quietly. "Mia, you're up early."

Mia offered him a wry smile. "It's almost twelve o'clock, Quatre."

"Okay, who are you and what have you done to the _real_ Trowa who_ burns_ our —" Duo stopped short in the doorway, his jaw hitting the floor as he watched Mia flip several pancakes over, the cooked sides a perfect golden brown. " — pancakes.... Mia, you can cook?"

She blinked, wondering why he sounded as though that was the most impossible thing in the world. "Yes, I can. Picked a few things up while washing dishes at one of them old fashioned restaurants."

Heero wandered in pulling a shirt over his head, nearly bumping into the group gaping in the doorway. "Can we move _into_ the kitchen?" he asked in a sleepy, annoyed voiced. The pilots seated themselves around the table, pouring themselves glasses of orange juice from an old glass pitcher that had been placed on the table. Mia removed the last few pancakes from the griddle and added them to the small mound that she had been building on a plate to the side. As she brought them to the table, she realized something wasn't quite right.

"Where's Wufei?" she asked.

"Still sleeping, I guess," Duo replied, reaching a fork towards the plate before she could even put it down. Mia pulled it quickly away, narrowing her eyes as a warning.

"Go wake him up, then, you can't eat without him," Mia stated matter-of-factly.

Duo groaned. "Come on, Mia, I'm starving! _You _go wake him up."

"They bicker like a married couple," Quatre muttered quietly to Trowa, who in return could not hold back a smile. Heero, overhearing this, gave his plate the Perfect Soldier death-glare. That was _not_ something he needed to think about, especially this early after his waking up.

Mia's gaze flickered to Quatre for an unnoticeable second, and she sighed. "Fine, I'll get him. Just don't eat them all, Duo. You may still be the bottomless pit you always were, but your friends are hungry, too."

She placed the large plate down on the table and briskly walked to the living room and up the stairs, purposely ignoring the snide comment, "Yes, dear," from Duo. He had heard Quatre as well.

"Now, which is his room..." she murmured quietly as she looked down the hallway containing two doors to the right, and three to the left.

The first one on either side was open, revealing a messily made bed in each and several articles of clothing strewn about. The next door on the left was closed, but she knew that was Duo's room, even though he rarely ever slept in there. She shook her head, remembering how she first figured out the sexuality of the four. How could she _not_ after she accidentally saw Duo crawling under the covers in the bed he shared with Heero? Blushing furiously at the thought, she reasoned with herself to try and make herself feel less like a voyeur. They shouldn't have kept the door halfway open!

The last room down the hall was her own, so Wufei's had to be the second door on the right side. Since it was closed, she knocked. No answer. She knocked again. Still no answer. Shrugging, she slowly turned the knob and opened the door enough so that she could stick her head in, wincing slightly when it creaked. But the scene that met her eyes was something that made her forget all else.

Wufei's room was extremely neat. There was a dresser next to the door, his bed on the right wall, a desk on the other, the curtain was drawn over the window opposite the door, and right behind her in the left corner was a small pile of clothes that needed to be laundered. She slowly walked in enough so that she could close the door over behind her, and paused to stair at a sleeping Wufei. He was lying on his side, arms hanging over the side of the bed, legs tangled within a messy mass of sheets and blankets, his head nestled on a pillow. He was even snoring! But it was a quiet, distinguished sort of snoring. For a moment she froze, realizing he wasn't wearing a shirt, praying he wasn't one to sleep in the nude. But she soon sighed in relief, realizing he was wearing a pair of black sweatpants.

She crossed the room to the window and pushed back the curtains, allowing the almost-noon sun to pour through the window, dousing his figure in gold. And yet, he still didn't wake up. Mia almost laughed. She strode over to the side of his bed, and instantaneously became mesmerized by the sight. His side rising and falling slowly with each breath, the light snoring that sounded almost like a purr, the way his skin seemed to glow bright in the sun. He looked like a god that had been sent to earth, for punishment or for pleasure she couldn't say, but he seemed to be absorbed in a rather intense dream. It almost made her dread waking him up, but...

"Wufei?" she said quietly, brushing a dark strand of hair from his closed eyes. She then placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle shake. Mia almost gasped; his skin was warm and soft... like a blanket you want to wrap yourself in after a long day playing of in the snow. "Wufei, come on, wake up."

He groaned slightly and shrugged her hand off his shoulder, shifting to lie on his back and draping an arm over his eyes.

"Come on, Wufei, it's almost noon. Get up."

Wufei groaned again, trying effortlessly to untangle his legs from his sheets and rubbing his eyes with his arm. He moved it slightly so he could peer at whoever was in his room with him, and when he did he smiled slightly.

"Meiran..." his free arm reached up, gently wrapping half-way around Mia's waist and pulling her down a bit. Mia's eyes widened slightly as she put her arms out to keep herself from falling on top of him. She tried to pull back, but he was strong, even when half-awake.

"Wufei," she started, "Wufei, what're you doing?" Her hands were resting on his chest now, their faces inches apart, and Wufei made like he was going to kiss her.

"Wufei, wake up, it's me!"

Her shrill response sliced through his sleepiness, and Wufei opened his eyes a bit more, fully awake. "Mia? Mia!" He jumped as though touched by fire, letting her go and backing up against the wall, grabbing at his blankets. Mia stumbled back but regained her balance, simply staring at him with a bewildered expression on her face. Then she did something he hadn't expected her to do. She smiled.

"Must've been some dream." She chuckled nervously. "Come on, breakfast is ready... though I doubt anything's left by now. You're... a sound sleeper."

Wufei gaped, unable to think of anything to say that would explain what he had almost done. She hesitated, as though waiting for him to get up or reply, and then began to back up. Wufei could have sworn he saw the faintest trace of a blush coloring her cheekbones. Then she hurried out. Wufei leaned his head back and banged it on the wall, closing his eyes. This was just great. Mia would tell Duo, Duo would tell absolutely everyone, and everyone would tease him. Not what he needed right now. Damn that woman anyway. Damn all women.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"What took you so long?" Duo asked cheekily with a mouth full of pancakes, syrup, and orange juice.

"Didn't wanna' wake up," Mia replied quickly, keeping herself busy by putting all the dirty utensils she used to prepare breakfast in the sink. Wufei entered the kitchen, now wearing a shirt, and seated himself in the only available seat between Heero and Quatre. Mia turned around to face them all, her gaze lingering on Wufei for a moment before moving on.

"Aren't you joining us, Mia?" Quatre asked innocently, taking a sip of his juice.

Mia smiled at him. "Sorry, Quatre, I already ate. Had to get up early this morning." She glanced at the clock. "And now it's about time I go again. Quatre, your shirt and Wufei's sweatpants are in the dryer, they should be finished within the hour. Also, I've got some of my own things in the washing machine, and if one of you could stick those in the dryer when they're finished I'd be eternally grateful." They all gave her wary looks, causing her to chuckle. "Nothing of that sort, I did a load of, ah, _delicates_ before you all woke up. Oh, and I borrowed the laptop in the living room to research something, I hope you don't mind, it's no different than it was before. I did a little bit of grocery shopping this morning, there are things for sandwiches in the refrigerator in case you get hungry later." As she was saying this, she was pacing back and forth a bit, trying to remember if she had said everything. When she reached the counter next to the back door, she grabbed the shining silver key off of it and stuffed it in the pocket of her black pants. "I think that's about it... I should be back around seven, there's something in the freezer you can make for supper. See you later."

Mia strode to the door, unlocking it and pulling it open. She looked over her shoulder, her face breaking into a smirk at their utterly bewildered faces. "Any questions?" 

"Yeah," Heero said, "where are you going?"

"Where am I going?" she repeated slowly. "I'm, eh, I'm just going into town for a bit. Little bit of sight seeing, I suppose."

"Why don't you wait a bit, and we'll come with you?" Duo asked.

"Come with me? No!"

They stared.

"I mean, no thank you. I can handle myself. Duo, I thought you would know that..."

He blinked. "Yeah, I know that," he replied with a grin. "Have fun, then."

Smiling, she nodded, "Yep. See you all later." And she was gone faster than the blink of an eye.

Heero gave an intense look to Wufei, who was staring at his plate, swirling his fork around in the syrup that Trowa had generously placed on his plate along with two pancakes.

And of course, it was Duo who voiced what they were all thinking, "What was _that_?"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Heero sat down in the living room in front of his laptop, grumbling quietly to himself. He lifted the top and flipped it on, sitting back and waiting for the programs to load. As soon as the busy light at the top right corner of the screen stopped flashing, signaling that it was finished loading, Heero immediately clicked on the mail icon. He was checking to make sure they hadn't gotten any word of new missions or of trouble anywhere. Only something wasn't quite right when the program opened.

Soon enough, Heero realized that the address he used to keep him and his fellow pilots informed was not the current active account. In fact, the active address was one he had never heard of and one he couldn't decode: M4OZMM22469. But he knew who it had to belong to, as there had only been one other person that had used his laptop besides him: Mia.

He casually looked around to make sure no one was watching him and quickly clicked on the archive folder, which held the exchanges of messages between this address and others. Heero shamelessly skimmed the messages, finding nothing interesting. That is, until he got the most recent files. Heero stopped skimming and began reading:

'Dear Ms. Maxwell,

Thank you for contacting us about the offering of your skills. We feel that you may be of some help to the foundation. Please reply to this message to confirm that you are, indeed, Mia Maxwell.

P4OZDB00001'

Then:

'Maxwell,

We have been informed of your personal connection with the pilot of Gundam_02. A meeting is being arranged to add this information into our plans and use it to the best of our ability, and our advantage. I, personally, will need to meet with you to discuss your role in our plans. Meet me for breakfast at 6:30 sharp at the Blue Soldier Café on West Main Street. Failure to report will result in loss of position and participation in the final action taken about the rebels; and, of course, your possible extermination.

P4OZDB00001'

Heero's eyes widened in surprise, and then narrowed in anger. He quickly skimmed through the rest, deleting the account from the laptop so that if Mia decided to use it again she wouldn't realize that she'd left her account active. Heero shut the laptop just as Duo and Quatre came bounding down the steps, and continued to stare at the closed computer deep in thought, trying to piece together and figure out everything he just read, trying to decipher the vague allusions and jumbled bits of sentences.

His thoughts, however, were interrupted as Duo delivered a rather forceful slap to his back, which wouldn't have ordinarily bothered him; this time, however, it did. Heero buckled forward slightly and violently stood up from his chair, causing it to fall over with a loud noise as it smashed against the hardwood floor. Duo, sensing that that wasn't the best thing to do at this time, hid behind innocent little Quatre, who stared up at Heero with his big, turquoise eyes.

"I'm sorry, Heero. I sh-shouldn't have d-done that. Very sorry... I'll be going now," Duo said quickly before running into the kitchen, Quatre not too far behind.

Heero sighed, picking up the chair and sitting back down. His facial expression soon changed from that of anger to concern.

"How do I tell Duo she's betrayed him?"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Mia came back to a quiet and, what she thought, empty safe-house. Pulling the key from the door, she slowly closed it over behind her, looking around the empty living room and listening for any sign of life. Moving from the door, she called, "Anybody home?"

Duo poked his head out from the kitchen shortly after. "Yep! How was sight-seeing?"

"Sight-seeing? Oh! It was fun... very interesting," she replied quickly, blinking as Heero snorted on his way into the kitchen. "What are you up to? Where is everyone?"

"Well, we're all in here making dinner except Trowa and Wufei. I'm helping," he grinned broadly at that. "I'll be back in a few minutes." And he popped back into the kitchen. Mia turned around, aiming to go for the stairs but instead bumped into Trowa, who had come up behind her while she was talking to Duo. Giving a muffled squeak, she stepped backwards, rubbing the back of her neck embarrassedly when she saw who it was.

"Sorry I startled you," he replied quietly, with a small smirk. "Wufei asked me to tell you that your laundry is finished and in your room."

"Oh... thanks, Trowa." Mia started again for the stairs, but she was stopped by a question of his.

"He has been acting strange today... do you know what's bothering him?"

Mia simply stared at him, raising an eyebrow as though she hadn't the slightest clue. Trowa simply nodded and continued on into the kitchen, and Mia hopped up the stairs, heading towards her room. Upon entering, she saw a basket full of her cleaned laundry resting on the bed. The only problem was, her travel bag wasn't anywhere in sight. Grabbing the basket, Mia decided to ask Wufei if he knew where it was, walking across the hall to his door. Mia put the basket down and knocked, waiting for a response from inside. When there was none, she knocked again.

"Gee, doesn't this seem familiar," she muttered, remembering this morning after there was no answer again. She opened the door a little, peering in to find Wufei meditating. Biting her lip, she quietly closed the door, grabbed her basket, and headed back downstairs. 

Mia placed the basket on the couch, remembering that she had brought her bag into the laundry room with her. Sure enough, there it was, resting on the floor right where she left it. Picking it up and dusting it off, she went back into the living room, opening the bag and placing it on the couch. Mia then began to fold her laundry, packing it as she went along.

Duo practically bounded out of the kitchen, a wide happy grin on his face. He was wiping his hands on a dish towel and made sure that the kitchen door had closed all the way before he proceeded to sit on the arm of the couch. When he saw Mia folding laundry, he thought it harmless. But as he realized she was _packing_ laundry, that grin faded from his face faster than water evaporates in a 100º heat wave.

"What are you doing?" he asked slowly.

"Packing," Mia said.

"Stupid question..." Duo mumbled. "Why are you packing?"

"Another stupid question," she answered with a hint of a chuckle in her voice as she flattened what she had already put away.

Several minutes passed before Duo spoke again, gently grabbing her wrist as she went to put a shirt in her bag. "Stay... please stay."

Mia looked up into his sad indigo eyes and almost immediately replied that she would; that look always got Duo what he wanted. But she couldn't comply this time, she simply couldn't. Closing her eyes so that she didn't have to see his hurt expression, Mia leaned forward to wrap Duo in a friendly embrace.

"I can't, Duo. I wish I could, but I can't; I've got to move on."

Before Duo could respond, Heero poked his head out of the kitchen door, stifling a scowl and a hiss at the sight of the two hugging. "Supper's finished," he said coolly, "come and get it before it's gone."

Without any sign of reluctance, Duo abruptly pulled away and strode into the kitchen. Mia followed shortly after putting away the shirt she had been holding.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Duo and Mia brought an uncomfortable silence over the entire dinner table; and if they were spoken to, their responses would come in short, one-word answers, and not at all polite.

"Shouldn't we wait for Wufei?" Quatre asked cautiously as he watched Duo and Mia begin to spoon spaghetti onto their plates.

"No," they both said without looking up.

"Why not?" Trowa asked, surprised. Wasn't it just Mia this morning who was practically swearing it was an evil to _not_ wait for him to eat breakfast?

"He's meditating," Mia replied curtly.

"Now? He doesn't normally meditate at this hour. Are you certain, Mia?" Quatre asked curiously, looking up at the deserted stairwell.

"Yes, quite sure, Quatre. Forget about it."

Trowa glared at her as he watched a hurt expression flicker within Quatre's bright turquoise eyes. But without anything more said he, too, began to fill his plate. Several minutes into supper, they were interrupted by quiet, but hostile, murmurings.

"I don't understand why you have to go," Duo was saying between slurps of spaghetti.

"I just do," Mia replied.

"That's not a reason," Duo countered. "Look, is this about the job? 'Cause if it is you could come work with us and stay —"

"Duo," Mia interrupted sharply, her voice raising slightly. "I have to go. That is that, all right? Nothing you say is going to make me change my mind. Nothing, understand?"

Duo grumbled something incoherent and scowled at his plate, then looked up to glare at Mia. "I should've known you'd be like this. Mia, you haven't changed one bit."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mia asked.

"I'm offering you a job, a home, and protection; and yet again you're throwing my generosity back in my face," he began, "that hurts, Mia, it does."

"Again?" she replied, ignoring the latter comment. Duo looked as though he were trying very hard to keep his anger under control. Heero could see that his hand was shaking, and was debating removing the fork in it for safety reasons.

"Mia, I've offered you that before, and you threw it back in my face."

She stared at him like he was crazy. That was it for Duo, he dropped his fork loudly on his plate and stood up from his chair so abruptly he caused the entire table to shudder.

"Mia, I did everything for you back on L2! And you never even thanked me!"

"Duo, what are you talking about?!" Mia stood, too, her eyes narrowed in frustration.

"Who was the one who kept you out of trouble? I was. Who gave you a home with the most successful group of street orphans there was? I did. Who kept you out of trouble when you got caught stealing something? I did. Who beat the other boys up because they made fun of you? I did. Who shared his meager little portions of food with you when you couldn't scrounge anything for yourself?! I did! I did all those things, Mia, and you just took, took, took. Never a 'thank you' or anything!" Duo's voice had risen with each sentence, his face flushing with fresh blood and adrenaline.

Mia opened and closed her mouth several times, as thought not quite sure how to say what she wanted. Finally, however, she simply lost control, and in one quick movement she slapped him across the face — hard. Duo stared at her wildly, his face contorted with anger, hurt, and surprise. Quatre and Trowa stared, shocked as well, whereas Heero simply wanted to kill.

"That," she began slowly, her voice oddly quiet, "is a lie. You know it is, too. Don't you, Duo? Which is funny, because you never lie." Mia seemed unearthly — insane, perhaps. There was an indecipherable gleam in her eyes, her voice was deathly quiet and heavily coated with sarcasm.

Duo simply glared at her in response, gently curled fist brushing up against the spot on his cheek that was tingling with pain and glowing a rich red.

"Duo, I'm not denying that you helped me. Hell, you practically saved my life! If it wasn't for you, I would have died like so many others who didn't have the superior amount intelligence of a street-kid like you. But don't pretend that you did everything; don't play the hero. Don't bring up the past just because you're mad at me because I have to leave. Who was the one who patched you up when _you_ got beaten up? I was. Who nursed you back to health when you got the flu that one time, and could barely even sit up? I did. Duo, you could have died of that! I was there for you just as much as you were for me, and —"

"And then what, Mia? You do remember what happened next, don't you?" Duo interrupted, his tone matching hers. "You left. You left without any hint at all that you were going, leaving me behind to worry my ass off about you, wondering if you were still alive, if you were going to come back. If you still even loved me." As fast as Duo's voice had sobered, it had flared back up again, bitter as vinegar. "Mia, I actually cried myself to sleep after you left! And then I was taken to the Orphanage and lost all hope of ever seeing you again! But, no, it couldn't have just rested in peace, you had to come back! Look, here you are, right in front of my face, the same Mia you always were. The same scrawny little girl who couldn't steal an apple from a cart that wasn't even being watched! And now, just as soon as you get here, you want to leave again?!"

"Duo, I have no choice _but_ to leave —"

"Bull shit, Mia! You always have a choice — _always_! God damn it! Just damn it all! Mia, it would have been so much better if you hadn't come back. Christ, you should have _died_! In fact, that's how it will be from now on. Mia, you don't exist anymore. From now on, you're dead to me!"

He took a moment to revel in the contorted mass of emotions that flickered across her face: hurt, fear, anger, pain, and then more hurt. Satisfied, he turned and slammed the chair into the table, causing it to shake again, and ran up the stairs just as Mia ran out the back door.

On his way to his room, Duo met Wufei in the hallway. Obviously not seeing the expression on his friend's face, Wufei stopped him. "Hey, Duo, is Mia back yet?"

Duo gave a curt nod and started to move again, but the other boy wasn't so keen on letting him go yet. "Where is she?"

Drawing in a shaky breath, Duo grabbed Wufei's shirt and slammed him up against the wall so fast that Wufei hadn't even realized what had happened until he felt pain rip through his spine. "Gone," was the only answer he muttered before stalking off to his room and slamming the door.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Although he wouldn't admit it, Wufei was anxious to see where Mia had gone. He figured she was probably half-way into town by now. That is, he had before he heard the distinct sound of a muffled sob. Following the sound around to the side of the house he found her. Sitting with her back up against the house and her legs drawn up so her elbows rested on her knees, she held her hands over her face. Whether she was trying to stifle her sobs or to keep herself from crying altogether, he could only guess.

Mia turned her head the opposite way, biting her bottom lip. She would be weak if she were to cry, and she had not a doubt in her mind that Wufei would agree with her. She felt a light shift in the air as he sat down next to her and the knot in her stomach clenched tighter and tighter, and grew colder and colder. Mia managed to gain control of herself, breathing in silent, hiccoughing gasps. In order to preoccupy herself, acting as though she had no knowledge of the boy sitting next to her, she began to undo her braid slowly to waste time. She was almost sure that he would be bored enough to leave her, but he didn't. Instead, to her shock, he began to help her un-plait the rest of her hair.

_Just like I knew it would be..._ he thought to himself, fingers gently combing through the soft, silky strands of her hair in somewhat of a relaxing manner. He continued until her body shook no longer with ragged breaths and until she turned slightly to look at him. Wufei wondered exactly what it was about her that made him feel so different. That made him _want_ to bring down the sarcastic and strong shield that he had been building over time.

"What happened, Mia?" he asked quietly, withdrawing his fingertips rather reluctantly from her scalp.

"I'm dead," she said bitterly.

Wufei blinked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Duo and I got into an argument. He saw me packing and threw a fit."

When he made no further comments, she took it as a hint to continue.

"He kept saying things about how I abandoned him, and just left him to worry; and how I have the nerve to just come waltzing back to see him and then leave again so abruptly..." She stopped, trying to swallow the painful lump that was swelling in her throat at the thought of what else he had said. Mia was sure her voice shook, but if Wufei noticed it he didn't show it.

Clearing his throat a bit, Wufei turned so that he was facing her completely. "Well, it did seem to tear him up. He must've really cared about you, Mia, and to see you leaving again must only be even more tormenting. You two haven't even had a real conversation, and I know Duo's itching to catch you alone so that you can fill each other in on things." That would be typical of Duo, he _loved_ to talk.

Mia's body tensed as he spoke and although he did not see, she only grew angrier at his words. Her dark hair had fallen so that it hid half of her face, so when Wufei saw her body shaking, he assumed she was crying. He reached a hand hesitantly out, but it was immediately slapped away as Mia turned quickly and pounced him, yelling, "Did you just come out to berate me some more?!"

Wufei caught her, surprised, and fell backwards. Her eyes flashed furiously, but Wufei could see hurt hidden beneath her anger. He didn't respond with words, but sat up slowly, surprising himself by removing her arms from either side of his head to pull her into a soothing embrace. Mia didn't refuse it and simply rested there, her face buried in the crook of his neck as she drew in deep breaths to keep the tears from falling.

_Meiran was too proud to cry, too..._ a voice said inside Wufei's mind. He dipped his head down so that his lips barely brushed against her ear and whispered, "It's okay, just let them go."

His breath was warm on her skin, and Mia felt a small shiver run up her spine in spite of it. His scent was almost intoxicating, a sweet mix of sandalwood and jasmine — the incense he used during meditation — but she brought her head up to look at him, eyes questioning his intentions. Two crystalline tears slipped quickly over her cheeks.

Slowly, as though he were trying not to frighten a small animal, he brought his hand up and allowed his fingertips to gently caress her cheek, tracing the contours of her face: brushing a few rogue strands of hair from her forehead, trailing down the bridge of her nose, across her lips, tilting her chin up. Her face was so familiar and at the same time it was unique. Honor, independence, loyalty, kindness, and pride all melded together into a mask of perfect beauty and innocence. All the while they were being drawn to each other like two magnets of opposing poles, until they could feel one another's breath on their own. And just as they were about to kiss a voice violated the silence that had befallen dusk.

"Wufei!?"

They jumped away from each other like they had been scorched by the flames of Hell and Wufei scrambled to his feet with a rapidly beating heart. Taking a deep breath to regain his composure, Wufei walked to the corner of the house to see Quatre standing outside the back door searching the yard for him.

"Quatre?"

"I think you should come in here. Sally's on the line and she's got some extremely important information for us all."

"Kisama!" he muttered under his breath. "Injustice.... I'll be there in a minute!"

With a nod, the little blonde boy bounced back inside. Exhaling a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, Wufei turned back around to see if Mia would be all right.

She was gone.


	4. Closure

Um, the usual: I do not own Gundam Wing or the characters (though sometimes I wish I did) _except_ for Mia.

****

Cautions: **Cursing**, Some Violence (though it sucks), Yaoi-ness, Firearms ... those sorts of things. And now, on with the story . . .

****

Chapter Three: Closure

"There has been a rumor of a small but powerful faction just outside of L2. At this particular time we are not sure what their intentions are, but they can't be good."

All five Gundam pilots were strewn around Heero's laptop in the living room, anxiously listening to Sally Po fill them in on a new situation that was currently on the rise.

"We do expect, however, a public announcement some time tomorrow, so be on the look out for it; it may mean another mission for our five favorite people." At this Sally allowed herself a grin and paused, sitting back in her chair awaiting any questions.

"Have there been any mobile suit movements?" Heero asked professionally.

"Only a few," Sally answered. "It's all very unclear and unprecedented. That's why we must be careful; there haven't been any other movements such as this so far."

"Under what circumstances would we be called into action?" Quatre asked.

"Only if there is the potential danger of harming any L2 citizens or the extensive mobilizing of troops from their faction."

Sally took a moment to take a look at her audience: Heero and Quatre were sitting in chairs right by the laptop, Duo was lying on the couch staring at the ceiling with an unnatural grimace on his face, Trowa could be seen sitting in an armchair not too far away, and Wufei was leaning against the wall staring at his shoes with a troubled expression on his face. When none of them questioned her further, she spoke again. "I will contact you if we receive any more credible information. Until then, be careful, some of our agents have seen a few members of the faction on various colonies, even in your neighborhood. Po out."

The video screen flickered and died, returning to the normality of Heero's desktop. No one said a thing. A feeling of soberness and anxiety hung thick in the air as they all sat there with their own thoughts. After several minutes, the only movement was that of Duo jumping up and off of the couch and running up the stairs, mumbling audibly, "I didn't really mean it."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Later that night all had gone to bed relatively uneasy, just as they always had when the implications of a mission haunted them. Quatre and Trowa rested in each other's arms, while Wufei lay awake. But he soon reasoned that if he were to never get any rest that his fighting skills would be horrendous; thus he, too, fell asleep. Then there were the two that seemed to be having the most trouble.

"I thought she was gone, Heero," Duo said quietly. "I really did. One day she just disappeared, and I figured she fell victim to the war. It's not like that was anything new..."

"Duo," Heero interrupted gently. "Duo —"

"But it just wasn't like her... she was too clever, too quick. She never would have gotten caught," Duo continued, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes at the lightest blink. "Why didn't I see that until now? _Why_, Heero?"

Heero looked down to the boy resting on his bare chest, fighting tears as he spoke from his heart. It would be terribly inconsiderate to interrupt with what was on his mind now, so Heero took to stroking Duo's unbraided hair, hoping to calm him down. The last few days had been anything but normal, turned upside down by one female. The one female that had raised many questions in Heero's mind, questions that he knew, now matter how inconsiderate, could not wait to be answered....

"Duo?"

"Yes, Heero?" Duo replied, stifling a shaky yawn.

"Duo, I need you to tell me something, and I want you to be completely honest," Heero said firmly.

"Of course, Heero."

"Do you like her?"

Duo yawned. "Of course I do, Heero, that's a silly question."

"No, Duo. I mean, do you love her?"

"..."

Heero's heart clenched at the sound of no response. Slowly, with all the courage he could muster, he stole a peek at his love, hoping to be able to at least decipher his expression. Heero soon relaxed, however, allowing a smile to creep up on him. Duo had fallen fast asleep, unbraided hair spilling around his angelic facade; a frame that captured his innocent beauty, Heero thought to himself. Stroking his hair a little longer, Heero leaned forward to place a kiss on Duo's forehead and rested back to stare at the ceiling in thought.

Racing through his mind was everything Sally had told them, everything he had read, his emotions, and his instincts. He tried not to piece Mia into the puzzle for Duo's sake, but he simply couldn't help it. There was definitely something going on with that girl, and Heero was set on finding out just what that something was.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Pass the sugar."

Trowa slid the small, glass sugar bowl towards Heero with a swift flick of his wrist. Heero caught the thing before it fell off the edge of the table and spooned several mounds of it into his coffee. Silence hung thick in the air; the only sounds were that of toast buttering, munching, the sipping of coffee, and the rather annoying tick of the wall clock.

_Tick... tock... tick... tock.... Beep!_

All five pilots looked up to the video phone on the counter, staring as it continued to beep and the screen flash with the warning of an incoming transmission. Almost immediately after sharing a glance, they jumped up from their chairs and crowded around it, hoping it was Sally phoning to give them some good news. Heero pushed a button and the screen flickered to show their messenger. It wasn't Sally.

"Well, well, well... what do we have here? The new Breakfast Club?" the person sneered.

"Who the hell are you?" Duo asked. The man was one they hadn't seen before, dressed as though he belonged to some sort of Satanist cult. The only color he wore was black, his hair was black -- even his eyes seemed to be that dark; and hanging from a thin gold chain on his neck was a triton with the prongs bent over to the left encircled in a... well, circle.

"Who I am is not important. It's what I have that is. I seem to have something special of yours, Duo Maxwell."

"What the hell are you talking about?" he demanded, never having been a fan of mind games.

"Please, avert your attention over my shoulder," the man ordered. The camera was moved and focused in on a figured clad in all black as well. The curves of the figure proved it to be a woman, a woman whose long, silky black hair was blockading a proper view of her face. She was bound by chains that held her legs together, and chains that held her suspended from the ceiling by her arms; the position made her look like a living crucifix.

"Mia..." Wufei whispered, realization dawning. Heero remained stoic, Trowa placed an arm around a sickly-looking Quatre, and Duo opened and closed his mouth in angry shock.

"Mia! Mia, look up. Can you hear me? It's Duo." Inside, his mind was praying that she wasn't dead, it would be all his fault if she was. "Mia!"

"I'm afraid she can't hear you, Mr. Maxwell," the man said mockingly. "But..." he raised his voice, which carried and echoed eerily throughout the room, "Mia, my dear, say hello to our guests."

For a moment she didn't move, and she made no indication of ever moving again. But slowly, ever so slowly, her head began to rise and the curtain of her hair fell back onto her shoulders exposing a blank, expressionless face. Her almond skin seemed pale and there was a ripe, purpling bruise surrounding her left eye. Mia's eyes were, in fact, the only thing that made her look alive, and so clearly etched within them was a desperate cry for help.

"You sick bastard, let her go!" Duo lunged towards the video screen, and the only thing that kept him from smashing the thing into a thousand pieces were the firm grasps that Heero and Trowa had on either of his arms. "Son of a bitch! Let her go!"

"Now, now, Mr. Maxwell," the man chuckled calmly, "is that anyway to speak to her captor? I'm afraid that your language is not acceptable." He turned the screen away from Mia and back to himself, "You can give me an apology when you come for a visit. And you will be coming for a visit, Mr. Maxwell; your little girlfriend's life depends on it."

The screen went dead. Duo wrenched free of Heero's and Trowa's grasp and grabbed the screen, shaking it as though it would bring back the picture. Frustrated, he slammed it down to the floor and stomped on it with a ferocity that was enough to smash it into a _mil_lion pieces.

"Duo," Heero started, reaching an arm forward to both comfort and stop him. "Duo, stop it."

Duo slapped Heero's arm away, but complied, seeing as it was broken enough anyway.

"Kisama!" _Slam!_ Wufei's fist connected solidly with Duo's jaw, sending him flying backwards into Heero who stumbled slightly but caught him effectively. "Now how the hell is he supposed to tell us where to meet him?!"

Before anyone could even respond, the doorbell rang furiously — six times in quick succession — and there were several knocks on the door. Heero stood Duo up quickly before grabbing his gun from the back of his boxer-shorts and going to investigate.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"So what exactly is our plan?" Quatre asked. It had been two hours since their mysterious phone call, and the Gundam pilots found themselves on their way to a meeting with the Preventors unit currently working on the case.

"We don't exactly have one yet. We're waiting to see if Sally's got any other information," Lucrezia Noin explained, leading them all down a hall bustling with activity. However, things began to quiet down as they got closer to the meeting room. "I must warn you," she began, pausing in front of a pair of large oak doors, labeled "Preventors" in embossed gold lettering. "Miss Relena is also in there, and last time I saw her, she wasn't quite... stable."

The pilots exchanged wary glances as Noin opened the doors and they entered the meeting room. It was bright with the sun and unnecessarily lit lamps along the walls. In the center of the room was a large, round table, at least twenty cushioned chairs set around it, several of them already taken by Preventors. They recognized Sally Po immediately, and —

"Heero!"

Said pilot flinched upon hearing that oh-so-familiar screech of his name, and Relena Peacecraft–Dorlian had practically leapt up from her chair and over to him, where she gave him as formal of a hug as she could, guiding him to a chair placed, conveniently, right next to hers. Duo sat on his other side, and the other pilots filtered into sitting positions in much the same fashion; albeit, of course, with no screaming girls tugging on them. They all exchanged glances again, Relena really didn't look so well. Her eyes were wide, red-rimmed, and puffy as though she had been crying and as though she hadn't slept. Her clothes and hair were slightly disheveled, and if anyone knew Relena personally, she always took pride in appearing her best for formalities such as these. Not only for that, but also for maintaining her cool, calm, and collected composure.

Noin gave him a look that clearly said 'I told you so,' and took her place next to Sally at what was obviously the 'head' of the table. Sally nodded to a tall, muscular man standing to her left who immediately went to Relena's chair and whispered something in her ear. Seemingly having caught _some_ composure in the time everyone was getting settled, she nodded slowly, and quite reluctantly stood from her chair, making her way out of the meeting room with the man. She gave one last desperate look to Heero before the man closed the door and she was cut off. They heard her sobs echo until she was far enough away and out of ear shot.

All of the pilots looked expectantly and Noin and Sally. Noin sighed, and began to explain. "Miss Relena was on L2, promoting the newest idea of the Unified Nation's in the long plan for ultimate peace. A small group began to protest quite rudely — the group we believe comes from this new faction — and soon it turned violent. There was a pure riot, and shots ended up being fired. We think they were there to make an assassination attempt on Miss Relena, because she is so well-loved by the people."

"Not only that, but because she is an advocate for the so-called Rebel-Gundam Pilots," Sally continued, eying Heero, Duo, Trowa, Quatre, and Wufei warily. Noin somewhat struggled to regain her composure. "We think that this does not have _much _to do with the Nation's peace plan. Or, perhaps, it does, and they're trying to get the Gundam pilots out of the way so that their path is clear. Quite fortunately and _un_fortunately, someone was there to stop the shots fired at Relena. Pagan was killed saving Relena's life."

Silence hung thick in the air as the pilots absorbed it in. Relena almost died, and Pagan _did_ die, because of _them_, the Gundam pilots. But at the same time, they were slightly puzzled.

"But ... what has Relena so upset?" Duo questioned. "It's not like she's never faced violence or a gun in the face before." He flicked a quick glance to Heero, then back to the two women. But it was Quatre who answered him.

"Pagan was Miss Relena's only connection to the only family she's ever known," he replied. "He's been with her since she was born, counseling her, comforting her, keeping her somewhat the child that she is and keeping her from completely being transformed by the responsibilities she has taken on." He paused, then, "He was what kept her sane, in a way."

Silence had fallen once again. Although they were all trained to be courageous and do what they had to do, it was somewhat difficult to execute plans when there were so many risks involving so many people who were close to them all.

"It is obvious, then," Heero began, "that Relena is to be placed under high security."

Sally Po nodded, "Absolutely."

"It is imperative that we do that," Noin added.

"But we must also discuss what we are going to be doing in order to get this under control," said another, male, Preventor. The seven of them nearly started, they had forgotten there were two others.

"Correct," Sally replied. "Gentlemen," she continued, speaking to the two unknown Preventors, "I need you to stand by in the Video Communications Center. Please alert us if there is any knew developments pertaining to this case."

"Yes, ma'am," they replied, standing and leaving. The pilots had a feeling they resented having to leave, however, and, ultimately, had a feeling that those two were _not_ going to continue working on the case. Directly, anyway.

Once the door had closed again, and the men's footsteps faded away, Sally Po and Lucrezia Noin turned back to the pilots.

"We received a mysterious phone call," Duo started, and thusly the whole story poured out. They explained the Satanic looking man, his female hostage (who they explained as an old friend), and showed them the note and package that had been left upon their doorstep. The note read: _See you within 48 hours._ And left a set of directions and an address of location.

"We have yet to open the box," Trowa said, once Noin and Sally pulled it towards them. "But we are fairly sure that there are no explosives in it."

"It wouldn't be the asshole's style," Duo added. Sally pulled the cover from the box and knit her brows in confusion. Whatever was in there was covered in black tissue paper. She slowly dismantled the wrapping, and drew out a small and seemingly hand-sewn black teddy bear. Around its neck were several strands of long, silky black hair, tied tightly into a bow, and dangling from it was a small, silver, heart-shaped locket that looked extremely delicate. On the front of the locket was a Chinese rune engraved in thin lines. They all turned to Wufei, the former Chinese scholar.

He didn't look back at them, but gently fingered the rune. "Courage ... protection." He paused, pursing his lips a bit. "Love."

"So then it's not some sort of hidden message," Noin concluded aloud. Her brow creased.

"No," Duo replied, his voice tight, "it's hers." He picked the bear up from the box and placed it on the table. He moved to open the locket, just as Sally voiced a question.

"What is her name?" she asked.

Duo succeeded in prying open the heart-shaped locket. On the inside of it, looking back up at them all was a picture of two young children, a girl with long, silky, dark hair and cinnamon colored eyes; and a boy with long, wavy chestnut hair and indigo hues. She was giggling and smiling at the boy, who was grinning mischievously, his eyes alight.

The question hung in the air, and they were all mildly surprised when Heero answered, slightly stiff, "Mia. Mia Maxwell."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The meeting lasted several hours more, well into the night, until everyone had been talked hoarse. They'd only come up with a sketchy plan, if that. But one thing had been decided: they had 48 hours to rescue this young woman and dismember this faction. Sally Po had done some digging around in the computer resource lab, using the information and description the Gundam pilots had given her. They discovered his name, his basis (which matched the address given) as well as his connection to the faction. The odd thing was, he seemed to _be_ the faction. Or at least the leader of it.

The pilots retired to on-premises rooms, which were shown to them by both Sally Po and Lucrezia Noin. They had a long day ahead of them, and they all wanted to be right there so as to make optimum use of their so-limited time.

Before retiring for the _night_ the pilots congregated in Heero and Duo's room, sitting around a table that was off to the side of the bed. All of them except for Duo, who was lying on the bed on his back, arms behind his head. He hadn't said a word since the teddy bear had been found and the pilots expected that the small bulge in his pocket _was_ the teddy bear; he'd taken it with him.

"What do you think they're after?" Quatre was asking, frustrated. "It doesn't make any sense. I thought the people realized something after Dekim Barton manipulated Mariemeia."

"There are still those out there who would rather cause destruction," Trowa answered confidently. "They know no other way but war and violence."

"Yes," Heero agreed, "but why does this concern us, and not the Romefellar Foundation?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Wufei asked irritably. "We were the ones who inhibited the space colonies from complete control."

"But we didn't fight just against _them_," Quatre said. "We fought both Zechs _and_ Treize in that war."

"They don't give a damn about that, Quatre, don't you see?!" Wufei stood. "Whether we fought against _both_ of them doesn't matter. We fought against _Zechs_ and therefore the _colonies_. Whether we fought Treize as well is of no concern to them. We still fought _them_." He slammed his fist onto the table, causing Duo to look over at him. Wufei's face, though contorted with fury, was a perfect mask that hid all else. But Duo saw the frustration, anger, and, he thought, worry behind the angry sparks in his eyes. He turned from the table, kicking away his chair, and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Trowa asked.

"To yank the big stick out of his ass," Duo said, finally speaking.

Wufei tugged open the door. "Fuck you, Maxwell." And he left, slamming the door behind him. Duo went back to staring at the ceiling.

Wufei hastily made his way down the hallway to the room he'd previously decided he would take. It was one of the few rooms that contained a small, quiet, and neat atmosphere. He took the key from his pocket and entered, not bothering to flick on the lights. He went straight to a small cabinet and took out several things: four fat, white pillar candles, a small wooden box which smelled of his incense, an empty coke bottle which had been washed, and a small, silver lighter which was intricately carved with dragons and Chinese runes. He took these items to an unoccupied corner of his room, placing them down as he grabbed a small area rug in the front of his bed. Wufei set this down and sat on it, so that he was facing the corner. He organized the candles so that there were two on either side of the coke bottle, for symmetry. He then grasped his lighter gently in between his palms, crossing his legs in an Indian-style position and bowing before his small, makeshift altar. Wufei lit the candles one by one, muttering a dedication as each wick welcomed flame.

"For clarity," he began, lighting the first candle, then he lit the others, one by one. "For protection. For courage." Then, softly, "For love."

He bowed once more, inhaling the warm wisps of smoke each candle subtly gave off, now going by the light that danced on the walls. He opened the small wooden box, removing two sticks of incense. Wufei held the lighter up to the Sandalwood scented stick, setting it alight. He waited a moment before blowing the flame out and placing the smoking incense into the coke bottle. "For vision." He then picked up the Jasmine scented stick, closing his eyes and letting the fragrance wash over him. Wufei felt his skin flush and he quickly lit the incense, waiting a moment before blowing it out and placing it, smoking, into the bottle with the other. "For Mia."

Wufei bowed again, palms together, before standing fluidly. He went back over to that same cabinet and took out a small box, so small he could enclose it within the palm of his hand. Wufei took this back over to the mat and his altar, placing it down on the floor. He then tugged at the bottom of his shirt, bringing it up and effectively over his head. The silver chain around his neck glinted and sparked as the candles' light playfully rebounded off of it and something small and circular hanging from it. Wufei let his hair down and once again sat with his legs crossed, Indian-style. He moved the small box in front of the coke bottle and bowed in front of his altar. He deeply inhaled, the smoky scents of burning wicks, Sandalwood, and Jasmine entering his mind, flowing in comforting waves over his entire body. Wufei felt himself flush once more, and exhaled with disciplined timing.

He set to meditation.

"Please, spirits, I ask of you to guide me, to protect me," he said earnestly. In that moment, all buried emotions poured out from their locked box, leaving Wufei feeling tiny, lost, and utterly alone. "Show me my path, let me see the light." He paused. "Nataku, forgive me, for I have doubted your existence. You live. You have always lived. You were alive in the spirit of my Meiran, your courage and independence possess many others. Please, share with me your enlightenment."

Wufei regulated his breathing and cleared his mind, falling into a deep meditative state that he hadn't reached before. He would have pulled away, but he felt warm and safe, and in the back of his mind, he could have sworn he saw a pinprick of light to be reached. He began to blindly run for it, this meditative Wufei, yearning for the comfort and the knowledge that light would have for him. His mind was racing.

_Tell me what to do ... Help me. Protect me. Guide me. Oh gods, tell me if it's over. Am I to go on? Is she still with me? I've run for too long, but she has found me. Why does she bring me so much pain? So much confusion? Mia ... I have to save her. I love her. _

How can you love her? You don't even know her.

But she looks like Meiran ....

But she isn't.

She's special. I love her.

She's going to die.

No! I will find her. I will save her. It is my destiny.

And what of her own destiny? Her date with demise?

I will find her. I love her.

You don't know her.

Yes. Yes, I do know her. She looks like Meiran.

She's not! The voice hit his mind with such vehemence that Wufei's body jumped and he gasped in a jagged breath. He felt scolded and foolish.

_Tell me_, he begged. _Please, tell me._

What is it you feel, child?

Desire. For the past. I want the past back. So many lost years ...

And?

Wufei concentrated. He felt the light growing closer. _Renewal. C-closure. Affection._

The past is gone, Wufei. Meiran is gone. Meiran will never return.

Why does she hurt me so? Why does she frighten me? Meiran never did that.

She is not Meiran. Meiran was never your destined.

Then why did losing her —

Because you grew to have a familial affection towards her. You must move on. Mia is her own person.

I love her.

You can't. You don't know her. She is not Meiran.

She is not Meiran ... she is Mia. She is Mia. Not Meiran. She is ... beautiful, humorous, independent, courageous, proud .... She's ... Mia. Special.

You must let go.

I can't let go. Please ... help me. Show me my path ....

You already know your path.

And just like that a jolt of electricity shot through him, Wufei felt his mind clouded by the light he had been so desperately reaching for. Slowly, he became aware of his breathing, extensively labored, as though he had been running non-stop for hours. He felt his quickened heartbeat, the sweat pouring down his face and his chest. He felt an aching loss of emotion. Wufei felt a drop on his hand ... and then another. Wufei Chang, Gundam pilot, proud, Chinese scholar, stuck in his own ways with justice and weakness, was crying.

"Do not allow this foolish weakness," he said to himself. But it didn't work, his heart wasn't in it. Wufei had just had a major revelation: he'd been hypocritical of himself. He had always been against weakness, especially of _showing_ weakness, which especially meant crying. But he also considered weakness to be stupidity. Burying all of his emotions and his past had left him with a lot of pent up energy and emotions which he'd attempted to put away forever. Mia had somehow unlatched the basket in which they were being kept, and he was overwhelmed with them all. To think he could deny human nature had been stupid. Wufei had been weak all along.

Wufei did some breathing exercises to calm himself down. The few tears he had shed were gone, and he felt himself renewed with strength and purpose. He felt knowledgeable and, in a way, blessed. Slowly, Wufei opened his eyes, mind alight with the path he was to follow. With delicate and precise motions, he unclasped the chain from the back of his neck, staring at the article hanging from it for a moment. He then held one end of the chain, and held his hand out, palm open, beneath the other. The object that had once been suspended on this fine, silver chain slid right off and into his palm. Wufei placed the article into the satin-lined box he retrieved from the cabinet, and quickly clasped the chain back around his neck. He picked up the box and observed the object inside: it was a ring, silver like the chain, and small, fit for a feminine finger. On its band there were carved dragons and, at the widest part, the old L5 crest of the royal family.

Wufei drew in a deep and shuddering breath. The incense had long since burnt out, and the open window to his right doused the candles, leaving him with only the faint, almost non-existent light of the moon. His fingers twitched, and the box snapped shut with a resounding click.

"Rest in peace, Meiran," he whispered.


End file.
